Nancy Eckerson: Why is running so popular in N.H.?

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Posted Jun. 23, 2013 at 3:15 AM

Posted Jun. 23, 2013 at 3:15 AM

Earlier this year, Runner’s World magazine looked at subscriber data across the U.S., including both the number of mailed subscriptions and those purchased at newsstands, and then along with state population data, constructed a list ranking states from the highest percentage of readers to the lowest. Colorado lead the list for highest percentage of readers, followed by Vermont, Alaska, and in the fourth position is New Hampshire.

While the list only reports the number of running readers, I think it is an easy leap to equate that with a high percentage of actual runners, since I doubt that many non-runners would regularly read an entire magazine devoted to running topics. So why is running so popular in New Hampshire? I asked Janine Sylvester, long-time NH runner and owner of Runner’s Alley, a specialty running store with locations in Portsmouth, Manchester and Nashua for her perspective.

Sylvester agreed that running is very popular in this state, and always has been. It is a beautiful state, with mountains and beaches and so many areas to go running, practically anywhere, anytime. As a founder and one of the sponsors of the very popular Seacoast Road Race Series, Runner’s Alley also offers a number of running training groups, which is where Sylvester has seen tremendous growth. Beginner running groups are big in all three Runner’s Alley locations, says Sylvester, and beginning runners equate well with readers of Runner’s World, who are looking to learn as much about the sport as possible. The running group beginners tend to be mostly women, from their early 30s to mid-50s who have made a commitment to exercise. Running offers a big bang for your buck when it comes to exercise, says Sylvester, you can go when it fits in your schedule and you don’t need to join a gym. Of those beginners, Sylvester estimates about 10 to 20 percent really get the running ‘bug’ and continue to race and run on their own. There is great interest among these runners looking to improve their race times, so Runner’s Alley is now offering intermediate running groups to take their training to the next level.

The Seacoast has a particularly tight-knit running community, said Sylvester, which is evident with the number of runners who attend the yearly North Face Speaker Series at the Portsmouth Music Hall, also sponsored by Runner’s Alley. The Speaker Series brings world-class endurance athletes to speaking events around the world, and Portsmouth repeatedly attracts one of the largest audiences. Part of that, believes Sylvester, is due to the fund-raising aspect of the event, which donates proceeds to the Portsmouth High School track program. The Seacoast running community is very generous, said Sylvester, and running races and attending running-related events that help our local community is a big motivator.

There are other possible reasons why running is so popular in our state. New Hampshire was ranked number three in the list of the healthiest states in 2012 America’s Health Rankings, which takes into account factors such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, education, air pollution and crime rates. Interestingly, a cold climate does not deter running, as evidenced by all the cold-climate states that rank at the top of Runner’s World readers; ranked at the bottom of the Runner’s World readers list and healthiest states list are all warm-weather states, such as Mississippi and Louisiana. A colder climate might actually encourage exercise. My friend Elizabeth, who has lived all over the country and spent a good deal of time in Southern California and Florida said that she loves living in this state because of how we embrace the seasons. In sunnier and warmer climates, there is always tomorrow to plan a BBQ or go on that run, but here, we acknowledge how short the seasons are, and the reality that time passes quickly and shouldn’t be wasted.

For these and many other reasons, we run in New Hampshire. We embrace its challenges and linger in its beauty. From my house I can run a short distance to a series of trails that wind through woods lined by stone walls built long ago by those determined to farm this land. The trail slopes towards a beaver pond and continues over a wooden bridge built and maintained by local residents who love and use the trails. It opens up along Great Bay where residents in the 1970s famously defeated a plan by Aristotle Onassis to build an oil refinery that would have forever changed the delicate landscape. Instead of oil refineries blocking the view, we can run and admire the quiet road that follows the bay and dips and climbs to views of open marshes. Here, it is always a good day to go for a run.

Runner’s Alley intermediate 10K training group starts on June 24 in Portsmouth, for more information visit www.runnersalley.com.

It is a quiet local race weekend, getting ready for July 4 races; a good time for a long New Hampshire run.

Nancy Eckerson writes about running for Foster’s Sunday Citizen. You can reach her at nerunner1@comcast.net.